Rocky Colavito, a nine-time MLB All-Star and 14-year huge league veteran, died on Tuesday.
He was 91.
The Guardians expressed their sympathy in a press release on social media, writing about his significance to the Cleveland franchise that he performed with for eight years over two stints.
“The Cleveland Guardians are deeply saddened by the loss of Rocky Colavito. Beloved by fans, Rocky spent eight of his fourteen MLB seasons with Cleveland. He represented the club in three All-Star Games while finishing top-5 in MVP voting on three occasions. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends during this time.”
Born in The Bronx in 1933, Colavito attended Theodore Roosevelt Excessive College earlier than dropping out to play semi-pro baseball, finally signing a professional contract with the then-Cleveland Indians as a 17-year-old in 1951.
He made his huge league debut in 1955, ending second within the Rookie of the 12 months voting earlier than turning into one of many premier energy hitters of the ’50s and ’60s.
In 1958 and 1959, Colavito smashed a mixed 83 homers, main the American League with 42 round-trippers within the latter season.
After being dealt to Detroit earlier than the 1960 season, the outfielder had arguably his best season in 1961, when he set profession highs with 45 homers and 140 RBIs.
pitch earlier than the the staff’s sport towards the Angels in a 2013 sport. AP
Colavito’s profession got here full circle in its twilight, as he signed with the Yankees to play his ultimate 39 huge league video games in 1968, slugging 5 extra homers together with his hometown membership.
He completed his profession with 374 lengthy balls, getting MVP votes in six completely different seasons.
